Method of making knife blades, etc.



June 30, 1925. 1543,80

T. C. SHEEHAN METHOD OF MAKING KNIFE BLADES, ETC

Filed June 4, 1924 INVENTOR.

Patented June 3%, 1.925.

UNETED STATES tse se THOMAS C. SHEEHAN', OF UPPER.MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WADE &; k

BUTCHER CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF'NEW JERSEY.

mn'rnon or MAKING KNIFE BLanEs. ETC.

Application filed 'June 4, 1924. Serial No. 717,792.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS C. SHEEHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Upper Montclair, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Making Knife Blades, etc of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto a method of mak ing elongated articles having relatively thick and thin edges, such for example as the blades of table knives.

In rolling articles having relatively thick and thin edges, the thin edge oii'ers less resistance to elongation than the thickedge,

and so the thin edge stretches more than the thick edge. This differential elongation results in a product Which is not straight but laterally curved, the thick edge having the shorter radius. Heretofore, it has been necessary to subject such curved articles to a number of rerolling operations in order to gradually reduce them to straight form before they could be sent to the finishing de vices or machines. I

It has been discovered that the necessity for these article straightening operations can be avoided by forming, from a blank, a

slug of the required width and having rela-- tively thick and thin edges with excess metal adjacent its thick edge, and then longitudinally rolling said slug to generally lengthen the same and to crowd said excess metal along with the thick edge to lengthen the latter in compensation for the natural diiferential elongation of said thick and thin edges during the rolling operation, thus producing a straight product without rerolling operations and the additional cost incident thereto.

It has also been; discovered that by rollin transverse ridges on the slug as it is forme by rolling dies having corresponding transverse depressions, the material is retarded and caused to spread laterally more than it does longitudinally. x

The main object of the present invention is the production of a method of making table knife blades or other elongated articles having relatively thick and thin edges, in which method one or both of these discoveries are utilized in the interest of greater economy in production and improved uality of product. With this and other ob ects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain acts or steps which will be hereinafter any described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this'specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a blank of steel from whicha table knife blade is to be made; Fig. 2 isaperspective view of a slug forged from the blank shown in Fig. 1 in one operation; Fig;

3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 in Fig. 2' Fi 4 is a perspective View of a knife bla e ro led from the slug shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 .is a perspective view diagrammatically showing the rolls of a rolling mill with segmental.

rolling dies operating to convert a blank, as in Fig. 1, into a slug, as in Fig.2; Fig. 7 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of one of a pair of segmental rolling dies adapted to produce the slug shown in Fig.

2; and Fig. '8 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of one of a pair of rolling "dies for converting the slug of Fig. 2 into the knife blade of Fig. 4.

In carrying theinvention into effect, a blank 9,, out from a rod of steel, is heated and forged to forma slug 10. This may be done either by the use of a drop hammer and suitable stamping dies, or by the use of pear. When the slug 10 is to be rolled from the blank 9, the latter is passed between two segmental rolling dies 1 1 -r11 secured, in a well known manner not shown, to the rolls 12-12 of a rollin and operation of w ich is well known and needs no description herein.

Each die 11 is provided with an elongated depression 13, the purpose of which is to provide an excess of metal at 14 on either side of the slug 10 adjacent its thick edge, the'excess metal extending along said edge and varying in quantity at different points in accordance with the double taper of the blade to be produced and the consequent mill, the constructionprogressive change in the differential elongation of the blade as it is rolled from the slug. Each die 11 is further provided with a series-of transverse depressions 15. These depressions serve to form transverse ridges 16 on the slugas it is being rolled in the mill. The effect of these transverse depressions in the dies and ridges on the slug is to retard the flow of metal and cause it'to spread laterally more than it does longitudinally. In this way, the major portion of the blank is spread to the width of the blade during the initial rolling operation.

After the slug has been made, it is passed between a pair of segmental rolling dies 17 mounted on mill rolls like those carrying the dies 1111. During the second pass; that is, between the dies 17-17, the slug is but slightly increased in width but greatly increased in length, and of course reduced in thickness to the desired degree. If there were no excess metal at 14 on the slug passed between the dies 17-17, the difl'erential elongation of the thick and thin edges of the slug rolled thinner by the dies l717 would result in a product which is laterally curved, the thick edge being of the shorter radius. When, however, there is excess metal adjacent or along thethick edge of the slug, this excess metal is. crowded along with the thickedge of the slug and builds onto or lengthens the thick edge in compensation for the natural differential, elongation of the thick and thin edges.

The dilferential elongation of the thick and thin edges being compensated for by just enough metal at the thick edge to lengthen it to the same extent that the thin edge is lengthened, the blade 18 rolls out straight, as shown in Fig. 4, and ready for the succeeding trimming, grinding and polishing operations. By this method, the number of operations necessary to transform a blank into a knife blade is reduced to two, and the metal, first spread transversely in the slug 10, and then elongated in the knife blade 18, is given a degree of density, hardness and grain which greatly facilitates'the grinding and polishing operations which follow.

It is to be understood that the method is applicable to the manufacture of articles other than knife blades and of materials other than steel.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of making an elongated article having relatively thick and thin edges, which consists in forming from a blank a slug of the required width and having relatively thick and thin edges with excess material adjacent its thick edge, and then longitudinally rolling said slug to generally lengthen the same and to crowd said excess material along with said thick edge to lengthen the latter in compensation for the natural difi'erential elongation of said thick and thin edges.

2. The method of making an elongated article having relatively thick and thin edges, which consists in forming from a blank a slug of the required width and having relatively thick and thin edges with excessv materialdistributed in varying quantityalong and adjacent said thick edge, and then longitudinally rolling said slug to generally lengthen the same and to crowd said excess material along with said thick edge to lengthen the latter in compensation for the natural differential elongation of said thick and thin edges.

7 3. The method of making an elongated article having relatively thick and thin edges, which consists in forging from a blank a slug of the required width and having relatively thick and thin edges with excess material adjacent its thick edge, and then longitudinally rolling said slug to generally lengthen the same and to crowd said excess material along with said thick edge to lengthen the latter in compensation for the natural difl'erential elongation of said thick and thin edges.

4. The method of makin an elongated article having relativel t ick and thin edges, which consists in ongitudinally rolling from a blank a slug of the required.

width and having relatively thick and thin edges with excess material adjacent v its thick edge, and then longitudinally rolling said slug to generally lengthen the same and to crowd said excess material along with said thick edge to lengthen the latter in compensation for the natural difierential elongation of said thick and thin edges.

5. The method of-making an elongated article having relativel thick and thin edges, which consists in ongitudinally rolling from a blank a slug having a series of transverse ridges for retarding and spreading the material to the re uired width and also having relatively thic and thin edges with excess material adjacent its thick edge, and then longitudinally rolling said slug to generally lengthen the same and to crowd said excess material along with said thick edge to lengthen the latter in compensation for the natural difi'erential elongation of said thick and thin edges.

6. The method of makin an elongated article having relatively t ick and thin sationfor the natural differential elongation of said thick and thin edges.

7. The method of making an elongated article having relatively thick and thin edges, which consists in passing a blankbetween rolling dies for forming a slug of the required Width therefrom and having relatively thick and thin edges said dies being provided with elongated depressions for forming up excess material adjacent the thick edge of the slag, and then longitudinally rolling said slug to generally lengthen the same and to crowd said excess material along with said thick edge to lengthen the latter in compensation for the natural differential elongation of said thick and thin edges.

8. The method of making an elongated article having relatively thick and thin edges, which consists in passing a blank between rolling dies for forming therefrom a slug having relatively thick and thin edges said dies having transverse depressions for rolling transverse ridges on said slug and retarding and spreading the material to the required width and then longitudinally rolling said sing to lengthen the same.

9: The method of making an elongated article having relatively thick and thin edges, which consists in passing a blank between rolling dies for forming therefrom a slug having relatively thick and thin edges said dies having transverse depressions for rolling transverse ridges on said slug and retarding and spreading the material to the required width and also having elongated depressions for forming up excess material adjacent the thick edge of said slug, and then longitudinally rolling said slug to generally lengthen the same and to crowd said excess material along with said thick edge to lengthen the latter in compensation for the natural difierential elongation of said thick and thin edges.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

THOMAS C. SHEEHAN. 

